If your home number is bundled with your cable or internet, however, it might not be costing you that much. Or, to think about it another way, you might not save anything by unbundling it from your service plan. It's worth a phone call to find out. Maybe you've been thinking about cutting the cord anyway? If you're ditching two out of your three bundled services, now you're probably looking at a lower monthly bill.
Not in the mood to haggle with your cable company? A service such as BillFixers , Billshark or Shrinkabill will do it for you -- for a fee, of course. What's the advantage of moving your home number to Google Voice? For starters, it's free -- at least, it has been since Is there a chance Google could start charging for it?
Absolutely, but you can cross that bridge when you come to it. The key advantage to Google Voice is its versatility. You can route incoming calls to one or more other numbers -- like, say, every family member's mobile phone. That means you can receive home-phone calls even when you're not home. You can also set up voicemail so that messages are transcribed to text messages or delivered by email.
There's even a call-recording option, though it only works for incoming calls. OK, but does all this mean you can no longer use the cordless phone system that's been a household staple for all these years? Actually, it's possible to keep that hardware in the loop -- keep reading to find out how. There's one important concern: You can't use Google Voice for calls.
So although you're keeping your number, giving up your landline means you'll need to use your mobile phone or some other method to dial emergency services.
Also, if you currently have a Google Voice number that you're using for other purposes, porting your landline will override that number. If that's the case, it might be better to set up a new account with a new Google Voice number that you won't mind losing.
Select the image to the right to purchase from Amazon. You will choose a new temporary number and PIN. Insert the SIM card into an unlocked phone and a test call — call in and out. Call T-Mobile's activation department at Request to port your old number to your new prepaid SIM account. In 1 to 3 days, you will receive confirmation that the number port is complete, check to see that the number is working properly — E. Your old number is now the mobile number. The request to port link is found in, " Voice Settings.
You will need to provide your T-Mobile account number which is your ported number, e. Note: Use your newly ported, original number — not the number you choose when activating the SIM card. Google will call the mobile number for activation purposes, so be sure to have your unlocked phone in which you inserted the prepaid SIM card. Optional: Check the status of your transfer. Numbers take hours to transfer. In the meantime, a yellow status bar will appear at the top in Google Voice, saying that your phone number is in the process of being ported:.
Now all you have to do is wait. Again, Google says hours but, in my experience and I've done this three times now it is usually much faster than that. In my case I wanted to: Move my home phone number which used to be an actual hard-wired landline from Ooma another paid voice over internet VoIP provider to what is effectively the free Google Voice.
Save money. Enable text messaging with my home number. Obitalk makes it very simple to set up the box for Google Voice. Also note that, if you hook up an interface like that Obi box, there is a separate fee for e service. All that said, there are some things to know before you begin and to keep in mind as you go through this process: Google only ports numbers from mobile carriers. After the port is finished , you can cancel your prepaid phone plan.
At the top right, click Settings.
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